


Roses and Candy

by WindwiseWords



Series: Xenogen City [8]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Dessert & Sweets, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Gentleness, Kissing, M/M, Presents, Rare Pairings, Reminiscing, Romance, Solitary Confinement, Some Plot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Unheard of Paring?, Whirl Being Whirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-20
Updated: 2016-10-20
Packaged: 2018-08-23 12:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8328604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindwiseWords/pseuds/WindwiseWords
Summary: Scavenger goes to meet his new little... Whatever. First Aid is his, and he deserves something special.





	

Scavenger felt time tick by as if the city orbited a black hole: slowly. It was his third offence that cycle, so Prowl had thrown him into the solitary cells to cool off for a bit. To the enforcer’s surprise, Scavenger requested a cell in the back. Cooling off sounded like a good idea. Prowl granted the request and left him there to serve his four hours. Scavenger slept off most of it, waking ten minutes before. And those ten minutes felt like hours.

Five minutes early, the door clanged open on the rolling tracks and Prowl stood there with a forlorn Landmine. “Sorry I tried to kick your aft.” The old bot muttered. Prowl nudged him and pointedly glared. “I didn’t really mean it. I think you’re a great builder. Maybe I’m just jealous ‘cause these ol’ struts don’t do as much as they used to.”

Scavenger weighed the sincerity of the apology and slowly got up off the hard berth. He came over and held out a hand to shake, Landmine taking it in an instant. “You’ve got some better skills than I do. Maybe some time instead of competing we can swap ideas.”

Landmine grinned and nodded. “I’m in Swerve’s every evening. Don’t be a stranger, yea?” Prowl looked like his eyes were going to bug out of his head but straightened up and walked Landmine off, glancing back as if to make sure Scavenger wasn’t sick or something.

Scavenger was sick; lovesick. And if he didn’t make nice with First Aid’s comrades, the friendly little medic would grow distant. Never angry, oh no. Anger and disappointment Scavenger could deal with from anyone, he was well used to that. It was the fear in his eyes that made Scavenger’s spark twist painfully that forced this more friendly change. First Aid knew he’d get in fights, but always expected him to make up later.

With a bit more jump in his step than usual he walked off to the Medical Sector, not the least bit injured but wanting to meet his little friend after his shift. _Friend with benefits,_ Scavenger’s mind crowed.

It had taken some convincing on First Aid’s part that their spontaneous coupling in the garden of the greenhouse had been entirely consensual and the littler bot wasn’t hurt beyond a sore rear. It took even more before Scavenger allowed First Aid to call him ‘partner,’ even when he himself couldn’t bring the word to his lips.

As he walked past a new building going up, he paused to admire the construction. Autobots had this thing for cylinders-with-hexagons, and they did look beautiful in the middle phase when you could see the struts for inside and out all layered together.

Scavenger felt a little poke on his leg, and with hesitation a minicon was offering him something. It was a little flyer, and the tiny bot ran off to hand them out to others on the sidewalk. Scavenger squinted to read the tiny print, and found it was for a flower shop. Apparently some bot had decided to put all the trimmings from the Greenhouse together and put them out to take. The idea had Autobot written all over it but on his way home he passed the unmanned shop and something bright red caught his eye.

The tag said roses, and there seemed to be a dozen colors, but the bunch of six red ones reminded him so much of First Aid that he had to pick them up. There was no place to pay, so he just left a few credits on the space where the roses sat before.

Scavenger never got a gift for First Aid. It just was rude, or insulting to a ‘con. It said you don’t have the skills to get something yourself, or the means to pay for it, so here it is for free. Out of pity. First Aid never caught on to this and always brought Scavenger little trinkets from his excursions around Xenogen and a few times to the mainland, brought in so he could perform a lecture on basic first aid to local human doctors. Just in case the few bots that took jobs _out_ of Xenogen needed emergency assistance. He took all sorts of pictures and even made a friend out of a few humans, who he messaged from time to time.

Scavenger filled his quarters up with the trinkets, and finally felt a sense of home when he walked in the door.

 

At the Medical Sector, things were quiet other than some usual screeching from Whirl about his medicine. Whirl never took it willingly, so Rung had to inject him daily to keep his rage fits slightly less deadly than typical. If Whirl was less a disaster than usual, he’d get some melted energon candies and a stuffed animal. He loved to tear the plush toys apart, and the few times Scavenger had been around to help, he noticed First Aid couldn’t watch the toy ‘die’.

First Aid stood in the door, walking out with a tray of tools with Ratchet. The two were discussing something about a new seeker named Nightraid before they paused. First Aid lit up brightly and Ratchet glared a bit. The old CMO never did understand this relationship and frequently reminded Scavenger that he could kick his aft any day. Scavenger reminded him he wasn’t going to hurt First Aid, which proceeded in an eye roll and the two parting ways.

“I ah… Here.” Scavenger smiled embarrassedly. He didn’t plan to give them to Aid in front of Ratchet but at least it would make a point of ‘being good’ to Aid.

“Hi! Oh!” First Aid gasped, Ratchet taking the tray of tools before the shy medic dropped them. First Aid gently took the red roses and glanced over his shoulder before retracting his mask for a gentle sniff. “Oh Scavenger they’re beautiful!”

“I saw them and… And thought of you.” He admitted, still unable to meet Aid or Ratchet’s eyes. Ratchet was unreadable at the moment, assessing the situation.

When the old CMO finally spoke up he grunted and waved a hand, walking off. “Get a room. I’m too old and crotchety to be seeing this and smiling.” And sure enough Ratchet had a slight smirk on his face as he rounded the corner.

First Aid and Scavenger glanced at each other and broke into laughter. When he could finally talk again he explained. “Apparently Optimus Prime called him that this morning and he’s been stuck on the word ever since.” First Aid dissolved into a fit of giggles again and Scavenger grinned stupidly. That laugh always made him dumb with adoration over the tiny medic. “I really do love the roses. Come on, I want to go back to my place and get them in water.”

Scavenger froze up as First Aid took his hand and moved to go. First Aid never invited him back to his apartment and Scavenger didn’t want him at his place on account of his gestalt being rough and rowdy. Scavenger slowly stepped forward and they started walking.

“Sorry, I just was surprised you wanted me to come with you.” He rubbed the back of his neck as they walked out of the Medical Sector and toward Freerun, the apartments set up for grounders. First Aid lived close to the exit, just in case he had to rush out on his off shift to tend the injured.

“Of course I do! I guess I’ve been too nervous to ask until now.” First Aid clutched the roses carefully to his chest, making sure not to crush the stems. “Usually you make the first move on things but your partners are… They scare me.” First Aid murmured quietly.

Scavenger didn’t blame him. As they entered Freerun, First Aid waved to the neighbor across from his unit, a bright yellow bot known as Hot Shot. The bot was young, and apparently one of Optimus’ most trusted bots. He skeptically stared at Scavenger before spotting the flowers First Aid carried.

“Hey, big guy! He likes candy.” And before First Aid could scold the feisty yellow hotrod for interfering, Hot Shot sped off like a flash.

First Aid flustered as he put the code in to his unit. “I’m sorry, Hot Shot never knows when to keep his mouth shut. Uh… Oh Primus.” He mused, stepping into what Scavenger considered pristine living and what Aid considered a mess.

“Aid.” The bot continued to mutter under his breath about the mess before a heavy hand landed on his head. “Aid, it’s a thousand times cleaner than my quarters. Calm down.” The deep chuckle made First Aid nod and smile.

“Make yourself at home! I’ll get us some snacks and drinks.” First Aid went to a little kitchen space to set the roses up in his smallest glass. He put them on the counter in the light of a window before fixing a plate of goodies.

Scavenger walked around a bit, the white cement and chrome walls just like a medical bay. Immaculate, perfectly sanitized, like he could eat off the floor. On the walls there were some holoframes displaying images of First Aid and the yellow hotrod along with Red Alert, the three of them tossing around one of Red Alert’s security scanners over his head. There was another of him and Ratchet, posed and smiling bigger than Ratchet had ever in his presence. A framed copy of his credentials, and one more of First Aid, Red Alert, and Inferno from a long time ago.

“Seems like you’ve got a lot of good friends.” Scavenger smiled as First Aid came over to look with him, wrapping a small arm around his waist while the other hand held a plate of junk food. He really did like sweets.

“Yea. They’ve always been good to me. Even if they treated me like the kid, Hot Shot would stick up for me. He’s the kid too, at least in his field.” First Aid offered him the plate, and awkwardly Scavenger selected a round of compressed talc and gypsum. First Aid pulled him to sit on the couch and he hesitated.

“I’m kind of dirty from work.” Construction was not a clean job.

“And I’m dirty from work too.” There was a considerable amount of faint energon streaked across his body. “Whirl gouged into Vortex’ eye today. Not an easy surgery, let me tell you.” He mumbled the last bit around a mouthful of some gooey candy bar.

Scavenger sat down and tentatively bit into the sweet. It was delicious and melted across his glossa, dragging a soft hum from deep in his chest. “That is good. You know,” he mumbled, taking another bite and thinking on it. “I haven’t had sweets since before the ‘cons.”

First Aid whined and pushed the plate at him. “Then you eat more of them! Hot Shot was right, I really do like candy and sweets.” He plucked another candy, one filled with a gel center and bit into it. First Aid smiled bashfully as Scavenger leaned over to wipe the corner of his mouth.

The two shared small talk about the different treats before drifting into a content silence. Both were tired from work, and First Aid decided to not ask about the report Landmine gave in his medical ward today.

Scavenger looked up at the clock, he realized it was getting close to evening. “Aid? I think I’m going to get going.” The deflated posture of Aid told him Aid wanted him to stay, possibly overnight. Scavenger wasn’t ready to do that, not in First Aid’s own space. Not yet.

The two stood up and hugged tightly before First Aid dropped his mask to share a passionate kiss. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” First Aid said quietly. Scavenger mused on this before smiling.

“Do I want to? Yes. But. I don’t think you’re ready for that yet. And I don’t think I am either.” First Aid sighed and nuzzled against him, nodding. “And I kind of made some plans. With… A new friend. Landmine.”

First Aid’s jaw dropped in shock. “But you two, today…”

Scavenger laughed and squeezed him tight. “Yep. But really we were just getting over competitive. We’re going to just share techniques instead of beating each other to be the best. Like you medics.” He nudged him and First Aid took his hand, walking him to the entrance of Freerun.

“Will I see you tomarrow?” First Aid knew the answer, but asked anyways just to hear it.

“Of course, Aid. I’m really glad you liked the flowers.”

“And I’m really glad you liked the sweets.” First Aid leaned up to nuzzle his re-masked face to Scavenger’s cheek, then turned to walk away.

Scavenger touched his cheek and made sure his little medic got to the door safely before turning to walk, to Swerve’s. This was a day of firsts for him: First time apologizing to a ‘Bot, first time giving flowers to his sweetspark, and first time eating sweets since the start of his involvement in the war. He hoped none of them would be lasts, and set a reminder to get Aid fresh roses a week from the day.


End file.
